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I know when selecting spinnerbaits, especially if you're new to fishing and you haven't fished spinnerbaits a lot, it can be a daunting task knowing when to select which style, and specifically which style of blades. So I'm going to break it down here, explaining blade design and shape because I feel like that's one of the most important things when we're talking about spinnerbait fishing.
Starting with a Colorado blade, I have a Megabass SV-3 I have swapped out and added a bigger Colorado blade to it, creating a double Colorado configuration. A Colorado blade has a deeper cup, causing it to put off a ton of vibration. This deeper cup also provides lift on the spinnerbait. In early springtime, I may want this bait moving slow through the water column. I can throw a 3/8 or a 1/2, throw a double Colorado, and that lift is going to allow me to fish this bait really shallow and move slow through the water column. But then it's also going to provide vibration. If I'm fishing dirtier water situations, that vibration is how those fish are going to feed. They're going feel the thump of those blades as it rotates with that big cup. You can actually feel it in your rod tip.
Another useful configuration is to combine a Colorado and Willow. This is generally called a tandem configuration and the Willow blade is gonna put off a lot more flash than what your Colorado blades are going to put off. It's a longer, more elongated blade and it does not have nearly as much cup, so it doesn't provide as much lift. If I want this bait to move faster or I want the bait to run deeper, a Willow blade is going to provide that. Generally, when you have kind of a semi-stained water clarity, maybe three, four foot of visibility, five feet of visibility, you may want to switch to this tandem versus just a double Colorado because now you're getting a combination of the vibration and better flash in the clearer water.
If I really wanna move the bait or I want a lot of flash, then I'm going to go to a double Willow leaf where I've got a bigger Willow in the back and a smaller Willow up front. As these are vibrating, they're putting off a ton of flash and that bait is going to run true and it's going to run deeper. I may go all the way up to a one ounce with a double Willow blade on there, and that's going to allow me to really keep that bait down. 20, 25 feet, I can go to a three-eighths double Willow.
The weights and colors also come into play, but I feel like understanding what those blades do is one of the most important parts about spinnerbait fishing. So, if you want more flash, more speed, or you want that bait to run deeper, you want a Willow leaf configuration. If you want more vibration, slower-moving bait, more lift, shallower water, then generally those Colorado blades are going to help. And then you can have any mix or match. As for blade color, I like gold in dirtier water situations with a little bit of silver.
I hope that gives you a base look at your water conditions and then select the right spinnerbait for the job. Be sure to check out the video above for the visual version of this article.
--Pro Angler Brandon Palaniuk
